Ben Jealous Wins Democratic Nomination For Governor

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Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Tyler Waldman, WBAL NewsRadio 1090

Credit: Bill Vanko

If Maryland is “America in miniature,” as it’s been called, the Democratic primary for governor was a rematch in miniature of the battles fought within the national party two years ago, and a possible preview of the national battles to come.

In the end, it was the insurgent candidate that won, in former NAACP President Ben Jealous, a victory for liberals looking to draw a contrast with the well-liked Republican incumbent, Larry Hogan.

Touching on numerous topics Wednesday morning including business and healthcare, Jealous added he thinks Gov. Hogan is "terrorizing immigrants in our state," and making Marylanders less safe.

Jealous clarified he does not think ICE is a terrorist organization and says Hogan has encouraged sheriffs and police departments to become deputies of ICE and that has created a wedge between law enforcement and communities.

Jealous clarified by saying he does not think the ICE is a terrorist organization.

"This campaign is about seizing the moment to build a movement to make sure that everyone moves forward, no matter what happens in Donald Trump’s Washington," Jealous said in remarks Tuesday night, as prepared for delivery at his campaign's election night party in Baltimore.

Jealous supports tuition-free college educations and expanding Medicare to all. He also advocates raising teacher pay by 29 percent and funding full-day, universal pre-kindergarten with tax revenue from his proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

In 2008 at age 35, Jealous became the youngest person elected to lead the Baltimore-based NAACP, the nation's oldest civil rights organization. After five years at the helm, Jealous was credited with improving the NAACP's finances and donor base.

Jealous campaigned on plans to reduce the state's prison population to save money. One of his proposals includes ending cash bail and ensuring people stay in jail awaiting trial because they are a public safety threat, not because they are too poor to pay bail.

He supports continuing police reform efforts, including changes to the state's Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights so that all allegations of police brutality are investigated, regardless of when the complaint is made.

Baker, at his own event in College Park, called the results "bittersweet" but pledged his support for Jealous' run.

Hogan, who remains popular in heavily Democratic Maryland, was unopposed in his own primary. Jealous would, if elected, be Maryland’s first African-American governor.

Congratulations to @BenJealous on a hard fought victory. I look forward to a vigorous debate on the direction of our state and the issues that matter most to Marylanders. #MDGov#MDPolitics

Jealous' win was not the only leftward shift in Tuesday's Democratic contests. In New York, little-known Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Sen. Bernie Sanders supporter and former Sen. Edward Kennedy aide, successfully challenged top House Democrat Joe Crowley from the left. Crowley became the first Democratic incumbent to lose in the primary season.

A crowded Democratic field solidified in the closing weeks. Gubernatorial candidate Valerie Ervin ended her campaign just before the start of early voting and endorsed Baker. Baker also had backing from many Maryland elected officials, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen and former Gov. Martin O’Malley.

In the late days of the campaign, Jealous—who was endorsed by the Bernie Sanders-linked Our Revolution PAC—saw the Vermont senator stump for him. He also had star power in the form of campaign appearances by childhood friend Dave Chappelle. He also had endorsements from Washington figures like Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.

In a statement issued through his own campaign, Sanders congratulated Jealous.

From my family to yours, thank you for making last night’s victory possible!

"What the people of Maryland understand is that we can most effectively oppose Donald Trump's extremism with strong progressive leadership at the state and local level -- and there are few progressives stronger than Ben," Sanders said.

Hogan congratulated Jealous on twitter Tuesday night and Wednesday morning took to the platform to say Jealous is a "risky blend of ideological extremism."

Introducing Ben Jealous: A risky blend of ideological extremism and recklessness whose policies will take money out of the pockets of every single Marylander. His plan is simple - raise your taxes to fund his "pie in the sky" experiments. #MDGov#MDPoliticspic.twitter.com/a5MkuOLfdy